IdeaSphere

Mondays, 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

This weekly show, produced and hosted by Guy Rathbun, is devoted to political, social, economic, ecological, philosophical and religious ideas.

The series has been broadcast on KCBX, and podcast on NPR.org for the past 10 years. It has included such luminaries as Robert Reich, Chris Hedges, Michael K. Hudson, Vincent Buligosi, Richard Heinberg, and many more.

Long term and high unemployment is now frighteningly common across the developing world. In his recent study, professor Ofer Sharone reveals how different labor market institutions give rise to job search games.

Most Americans are not aware the problems that caused the collapse of Wall Street in 2008 remain prevalent today. Investment analyst Larry Doyle exposes the corruption in his book, In Bed With Wall Street.

Founded over 100-years ago, the NAACP is seen as a vanguard civil rights organization. But this institution was not the first to devote its efforts to advancing the cause of racial justice, as we learn from professor Susan Carle in her book, Defining the Struggle.

The Affluenza Defense: Four people died at the hands of a 16-year old drunk driver. He was sentenced to ten-years probation. Attorney and ethics professor Wendy Patrick looks at the circumstances surrounding this controversial decision.

Sharing is Good: Collaborative consumption is becoming a new way of living. Access is valued over ownership and experience over material possessions. Author Beth Buczynski provides a roadmap for change in her new book, Sharing is Good.

Beth Buczynski [boo-ZIHN-skee] is a freelance writer who covers clean technology, sustainable design, and environmental issues. She believes in building a new economy based on sharing and community and provides a road map to an emerging economic paradigm in her latest book, Sharing is Good: How to Save Money, Time, and Resources through Collaborative Consumption.

Hardwiring Happiness: Neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson has a different way of looking at the functions of the brain and our inherent tendency to focus on the negative. What he’s realized is that simply using positive thinking isn’t the answer. Neither is the practice of mindfulness. He says you have to rewire your brain.

The Family: In his new book, bestselling author David Laskin unfolds a sweeping epic that spans the three great upheavals that affected Jews in the twentieth century: immigration, two world wars, and the founding of Israel.

Church and State: Atheist United is teaming up with Freedom from Religion Foundation to bring a law suit against the City of Pismo Beach. According to the suit, the city chaplain offers invocations before council meetings, which, they say, is unlawful.